The 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati opened in November 2012. It consists of an 8,000 square foot contemporary art museum, a 156-room boutique hotel, a restaurant called Metropole, The Spa at 21c and Cocktail Terrace. It's across the street from the Aronoff Center for the Arts and around the corner from the Contemporary Arts Center downtown.

For the Fodor's Travel list, the guide invites 500 local contributors from around the world to nominate the best hotels in their destinations. The senior editorial team chose the 100 from more than 4,000 Fodor's Choice picks and new property reviews and spent months to narrow their top selections in eight categories.

No other hotels in the Tri-State made the list.

General Manager Gerry Link said in an emailed statement that the local staff is "thrilled" with the recognition.

"21c strives to be a destination for culture and genuine hospitality both for the community and for our guests," Link said. "Thanks to many wonderful local partners and our museum team, we've been able to present an engaging line-up of programming and contemporary art exhibitions. We are proud to be a part of the community, and to showcase Cincinnati's vibrant downtown to our guests."

"At Fodor's, hotels are more than our lifeblood – they're our passion," Fodor's Travel executive editorial director Arabella Bowen said in a news release. "To compile the Fodor’s 100 list, we look for properties within emerging destinations, trends our editors have been seeing throughout the year, new and noteworthy hotels and enduring favorites to create a list that will inspire all types of travel and traveler."